Christopher Trela

Christopher Trela teaches Principals of Public Relations, Media Relations, PR Case Studies, Student PR Agency (including the national Bateman competition) and PR Campaigns (capstone course). He is also the faculty advisor to the Chapman University Public Relations and Advertising Association (PRAA) and a member of the Dodge College Curriculum Committee.

He is also the lifestyle editor of the Newport Beach Independent, and executive dining columnist for the Orange County Business Journal. An award-winning writer and photographer, Trela is the author of the photo/essay book Newport Beach Centennial: Celebrating a Century and has had more than 3,000 articles and columns published in various newspapers and magazines over the past 30+ years. He has contributed arts, food and wine, health, business and travel articles to Westways, OC Metro, OC Menus, Coast Magazine, Orange County Register, Newport Beach Independent and Newport Beach Magazine, among others.

Trela is the owner/president of ArtsPR, a boutique PR consulting firm whose clients have included Pacific Symphony, Laguna Playhouse and Irvine Barclay Theatre, among many other arts organizations.

He currently serves on the board of directors for the Orange County Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, is the past president of the Orange County Press Club and a former arts commissioner for the City of Newport Beach.

Trela is the recipient of two PROTOS Awards and three Awards of Excellence from the Orange County chapter of PRSA, as well as a special PROTOS award in 2021 for distinguished service.